Manager of VIP Ticket Services

Company: Ravinia Festival Association
Location: Highland Park
Posted on: February 13, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description Company Description At Ravinia, we believe in the transformative power of shared, live-music moments and their ability to inspire individuals, strengthen communities, and foster a more connected world. Beyond presenting outstanding performances by the world’s greatest musicians, our mission as a not-for-profit organization is to develop broader, more diverse audiences and performers in the music industry with our Reach Teach Play® community engagement and education programs, our Steans Institute’s collaborative and experiential artistic training programs, and more. Together, Ravinia’s initiatives serve tens of thousands of students, families, and emerging professional musicians. Our 36-acre park is home to North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival and its most artistically diverse. Over 100 different events, featuring a mix of classical, rock, pop, jazz, R&B, indie, and country performers, make up a typical summer season across our open-air and indoor stages, including the annual residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Position Summary: The Manager, VIP Ticket Services position is a key people-facing role that directly helps deliver the world-class guest experience that Ravinia is famous for providing. This role is part of the Ticket Operations team within the broader Guest Experience department, and is a relationship-driven role centered on building connections with our supporters and making every guest feel personally welcomed and valued. You will look for opportunities to elevate interactions, going above and beyond to ensure their experience leaves a lasting impact. This role has an emphasis on working directly with Ravinia trustees, donors, members of the public, press, artists, staff and other users of the facility and is one of the most collaborative roles on the Ticket Operations team, supporting both internal and external special ticketing needs and working in partnership with the Development team. This partnership includes supervising the VIP Ticketing Team and leading the management and fulfillment of contributor requests and ticketed events, especially during the donor ticketing period and throughout the summer concert season. During the season, this position requires a flexible schedule in order to work evenings and weekends to ensure the VIP Team provides the highest possible quality of service. Key Responsibilities Ravinia Guest Interactions: (30%) Ensure a positive guest experience for donors by engaging in face-to-face interactions during concerts, as well as facilitating other methods of active communication Oversee the day-to-day communications of the VIP Ticketing Team Coordinate staff assignments at multiple entrance gates to greet guests and ensure a positive first impression for donors Represent Ravinia within the ticketing and entertainment industry as a model of customer service and innovation Proactively identify opportunities to go above and beyond and assist Development team to provide surprise and delights to our most important guests VIP Team Management & Ticket Request Fulfillment: (25%) Represent the Ticket Operations team in handling special ticket and dining requests for VIP guests and Ravinia donors Track, manage and assign VIP Ticketing Team projects and tasks Delegate and complete data entry of high-level corporate and individual donor ticket and dining requests Assist with ticket fulfilment of Donor Ticket Requests Coordinate VIP donor seating preferences periodically for accuracy Fulfill comp ticket allotment for donors, patrons, and VIP guests Assist with manual data entry of requests Create tracking document of processed requests, total requests and statuses Delegate comp ticket changes throughout the season to the VIP Team Manage ticket donations to other non-profit organizations Development Team Partnership: (25%) Support the VIP Ticketing Team of supervisors Initial point of contact for all Development ticketing needs Manage the fulfillment of the VIP donor waitlist and special ticketing requests from various departments Assist in handling ticket logistics for annual auxiliary board events, audience engagement events and other Development team special events Collaborate with Development to create contributor reports and provide analytical support using the BI within the AudienceView ticketing system Lead preseason Ticketing and Development training sessions In-Season Day-to-Day and Additional Duties: (20%) Maintain and update best practice sheets and how-to documents for donor-related software When necessary, assist in evening box office operations Assist with donor welcome events and surprise-and-delights Work evenings and weekends leading up to and during the summer season according to the concert schedule Other duties as assigned Knowledge and Skills Required Experience in donor relations or customer service preferred Experience working with AudienceView ticketing software is preferred Excellent time and project management skills Strong communication and interpersonal skills A motivated leader and self-starter Excellent customer service skills Detail-oriented Creative thinker capable of coming up with unconventional solutions Google Suite proficient Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required Minimum two years experience in ticket operations, preferably in non-profit music/arts Success Factors Deliver on the world-class guest experience to our VIP guests through proactive engagement, both face-to-face and via email/phone. Complete the fulfillment of all VIP, comp and other special ticketing requests by appropriate deadlines. Maintain an open line of communication with the Development team and help support all donor-related events and initiatives. Work Environment This is an on-site position that offers the possibility of hybrid remote work during slower times of the year (October-January). The Ticket Operations team is a fast-paced, collaborative team with a sharp focus on providing the best equitable guest experience to everyone. Benefits Excellent health and welfare benefits include medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, TeleDoc options, and life insurance. Company-paid employee well-being program, basic life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and four weeks of paid parental leave. Benefits also include comprehensive time off plans (holidays, vacation, sick, and personal days). Additionally, a generous employer-sponsored 401(a) retirement savings plan, employee-elected 403(b) retirement savings plans, learning and mentorship opportunities, and Ravinia lawn tickets for two (general admission) to the grassy areas, ideal for picnics (all concerts, except the Gala day concert).

Keywords: Ravinia Festival Association, Tinley Park , Manager of VIP Ticket Services, Hospitality & Tourism , Highland Park, Illinois